22.4.12

ALL EYES ON BRECEL

The
first day of the Betfred.com World Championship must be the best opening there
has ever been to this great tournament.

There
was Stephen Hendry’s superlative session, highlighted by his maximum, Neil Roberton’s
three successive centuries, seeds Martin Gould and Mark Allen left trailing and
then last night a genuine Crucible thriller.

John
Higgins, who has struggled all season to replicate the game which brought him a
fourth world title last year, scraped through 10-9 against Liang Wenbo.

I
don’t know how snooker players find the nerve to make clearances like the one
Higgins eventually completed to finally win but it ensured he did not become
the eighth Crucible champion to fall at the first fence.

It
is likely he will now face his fellow Scot Hendry for the first time in the
World Championship.

Today,
Luca Brecel makes history as the first Belgian to play at the Crucible and,
having turned 17 last month, the youngest player to do so.

Belgian
journalists have packed into the pressroom to follow his progress. Indeed, the
teenager was front page news back home after qualifying. Hendry telephoned him
to congratulate him on taking his record.

Amid
the swirl of emotions going through his mind today, Brecel may find it hard to
concentrate on actually playing. Stephen Maguire is a tough-as-old-boots
opponent.

But
Brecel seems level headed and has already beaten four experienced opponents to
qualify. A fascinating session awaits.

Cao
Yupeng certainly took to life at the Crucible impressively, although his 5-2
lead over Allen was trimmed to 5-4.

Dave
Gilbert was good value for his 6-3 lead over Gould, whose residency in the
elite top 16 seems to have affected his thinking.

In
an interview for Eurosport, Gould revealed that at one point this season he
started packing a case for the qualifiers before remembering he was in the top
16.

Being
a seeded player brings its own pressure. You are there to be shot at.

However,
Gould potted an extraordinary last red to win the final frame yesterday and a
comeback certainly can’t be ruled out.

Maguire .V. Brecel - Both started well. Brecel showed good form, but Maguire pounced on his errors, at vital times in frames, to take a 4-0 lead.

An superb response, a break of 96 from Brecel. 4-1. Maguire climed a black ball win, in frame six. 5-1, increased to 6-1.

Brecel grave a grat account of himself. Frames 8 and 9.breaks of 116 and 63 from the 17-year-old. 6-3 to Maguire, over-night

Gould .v. Gilbert. Gould, the first top 16 seed, to go out. From 6-3 down, he got it back to 9-8, before Gilbert won, 10-8.

Allen .V, Cao - Allen 5-4 down. the under-dog went 7-4 and 8-5 up, before a great 10-6 win, became Cao's Allen, the second top 16 seed to exit the 2012 event. Allen, unlucky to go in-off, when potting the final black, in frame 16, to cause his 10-6 loss. Cao was, though, very strong, in his play.

Murphy .V. Jones. Both were great in play two century break, one from each player, in frames 8 and 9. Murphy leads, 5-4, over-night.

Bingham .V. Hendry, From 8-1 down, Bingham showed great fighting quality,to the the first three frames, tonight, to make it, 8-4. Hendry finised in syle, winning the next two frames, the last of these, with a 96 break, to clinch a 10-4 win.

Higgins .V. Hendry , in round two now, that should be a cracker. I can't wait for it.

Robertson .V. Doherty - 7-2 up, Robertson won 10-4, with great play. Doherty, as ever, though, fought, right to the end. Typical of him, as you would expect.

Another stat for today -

Today, 22-4-2012, is the 9th anniversary, to the day, of Ronnie O'Sullivan's second Crucible 147 maximum break. He gained this on 22-4-2003, against Marco Fu.